Wednesday, March 30, 2011

It was a last minute decision to spend a couple of days in NYC. We took an early morning bus out of New Bedford for the 5 hr. ride to Manhattan. I'll be returning at the end of April for the Five Boroughs Ride and did some scouting for things to do then while also enjoying the city now. On this trip we stayed in the Upper East Side near Central Park and spent the evening in that section. During the day however we toured the Lower East Side.

Naturally we took a walk through Times Square and other parts of Mid Town. It's crowded, touristy, and hectic. It's also one of those things you got to do when in Manhattan. Last year we took a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. This year we walked the Williamsburg Bridge. It connects the Lower East Side of Manhattan with the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn. The Lower East Side is a really neat place to spend some time. One of the highlights is the Tenement District National Park and we toured three different 97 Orchard St. apartments. Each told a story of a different era. 1865, 1901 and 1938.

In between tours we had time for lunch and walked to the famous Katz Deli. Here is the history. Once inside we saw the size of the portions and decided it wasn't for us. (Much too big). We saw a Himalayan joint across the street and decide to eat there. It was a good choice.

NYC is a "fit" city. Walking is a major part of getting around. Even getting to the subway requires lots of walking and stair climbing. The other thing we notices is the lack of personal cars. There were lots of taxis and buses and limos but not much else. Another thing is that most restaurants show the calorie count for the meals. A couple of times seeing the amount of calories in my preferred choice, persuaded me to change. One pasta dish I was taking a liking to offered 1700 calories.

This guy was outside our hotel on Tuesday Morning.

Times Square

Williamsburg Bridge

Bikes on the upper level, trains in the middle and autos on the sides

Empire State Bldg in the distance

Upper lever is for bikes and walkers

Katz Deli. There was just too much meat on the sandwiches.

The perfect lunch spot in the Lower East Side

The Tenement District. This was the next step up from Five Points (Gangs of New York area)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Well, 99% full. It was too nice an evening not to ride. The afternoon gave us winds close to 40MPH and it was a good time to catch the first showing of Lincoln Lawyer. Two thumbs up from me.

Back to the full moon. Tomorrow will show us a Super Moon as some put it. It's the closest to Earth in 20 years. This evenings temperature hovered around 60F for most of the ride and the sky was clear as can be. Perfect. Some of the high school players I coach had an indoor match which I stopped by and watched for a bit. It was a Portuguese team vs the American from Fairhaven. Naturally the yanks won handily 11-8.

Indoor Soccer.

Outdoor hoops

I head the bus approaching and from experience know that bus drivers here are dickheads.

The proof is in the photo. He didn't give and inch when he passed.

It began to get dark after leaving the arena and the moon gave a great show.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The bikes have been tuned and the weather is sort of cooperating. The main thing is that the path and roads are now clear. The wind has been horrendous this week often gusting to the 50+MPH range. A couple of times a gust caught me and threw me and the bike off kilter. Double digit speed was at a premium this past week.

The sights are always there for the taking.

Old English Tudor style building architecture

Unitarian Church steeple in Fairhaven Mass.

A mid week trip to Cambridge, MA to hear former Liverpool defender and NE Revolution head coach Steve Nichol give a talk on the team